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EDBACK!
I don't usually do this, but I got a lot of email in regards to my last column, where I discussed my disdain for the fans of today who seemingly have no idea of the history and lineage of the industry and pointed out some websites of interest for you to learn or revisit such topics. I thought it might be interesting to run a few.
I enjoyed your column on wrestling history. Many younger fans are lacking in their knowledge of wrestling history. It's true. It's true.
I wanted to let you know about a relatively new website that covers all the territories from the old days. The name of the site is Kayfabe Memories. You can check it out for yourself by going to www.kayfabememories.com.
I am the AWA writer for the site. There are several other fine writers including Eric G of 1wrestling.com.
Jim Zordani
MKJ: I was actually unaware of the website when I wrote the column, but I think it's a worthy addition to the list I compiled and I invite everyone to check it out.
Hi, my name is Kenneth Maxey, from Chicago. I am just 20 years old, and feel the same way you do! What you wrote was great, but not everyone forgets, in fact some of us, like yourself, make it our business to remind. HBK is without a doubt my favorite wrestler, and I make sure, be it by tape or voice I let people know how great he was. As a child, nothing was better to me, than watching the Dynamite Kid snap suplex someone, or the British Bulldogs finish opponents off w/ double team moves, that I haven't seen since. I remember Flair at his best, the Freebirds, the Von Erichs, and Eddie Gilbert, and even though I was not yet born, my father made me realize how important and good Dick the Bruiser was, and the Funks and Briscos, and from that, I've made it my business to see the Tiger Masks, Bruiser Brody, Bobo Brazil, etc....Even reading what you wrote, took me back. Some of us can't forget!
MKJ: It's interesting you bring up that your father would tell you about the stars of yesteryear, because I always had something similar in hearing about the older days of Championship Wrestling from Florida. For whatever reason, I think that's always piqued my interest in the past. There's always something that can be learned from the past.
Just the other night, I had gotten a tape of the infamous Buddy Rogers vs Pat O'Connor NWA title match from Chicago, and it was really interesting to watch because there was a move I had never heard of, a twisting armbar. Basically O'Connor would lock on an armbar and then circle around his opponent. I would assume it's used in Japan in some form, but I haven't seen it ever in any American shows. It's a pretty simple move and it looks great, so it would be an interesting submission for a Tazz or a Little Guido. To me, watching older matches like that help prove the old saying, "Less is more."
Hi there. I don't usually do this, but I was really intrigued by your column, and so I thought I'd give you some feedback. It was the one where you bemoaned the lack of interest in the history of wrestling.
I agree with what you say, that fans nowadays have less interest in wrestling history than they used to. But that is because wrestling is now more mainstream. Before, the majority of fans were the semi-obsessive type who would watch whatever wrestling they could; those fans are still around, but there are now ALSO casual fans who will occasionally choose to watch RAW. The "real" fans (whatever that means) have not lessened, but their influence has been diluted by the casual fan.
The second point you make is that wrestling has less interest in its history than football/baseball/"real" sports. Which is true to a certain extent. But that's because those are shoot, and are marketed as such. The NFL needs to put over the Vince Lombardi Trophy as full of history, tradition, etc, because that's why teams want to watch it. Otherwise why not watch Arena Football? The NFL is built on its history.
But wrestling is built, at least 80%, on the show. No-one watches one wrestling show over another because of the legitimacy of the world title. But they do watch because of the interesting characters, the drama and evolving storylines, and (at the lowest level) a snappy catchphrase. Given that, the interest in wrestling history is surprisingly high. What is the interest in soap opera history amongst its fans? Sure Bobby Eaton got a disappointing pop at the ECW arena, but if a fairly minor character from "Dallas" 15 years ago walked onto the set of "Friends", would the audience really care that much? Not to disparage Bobby Eaton. But times have changed, and it's not like he was Ric Flair or Dusty Rhodes.
As a passing note, I too care about the history of wrestling, the lineage of the titles and the people who made it what it is today. But I accept I am in a minority.
Thanks for the interesting column,
Salem
MKJ: You bring up an interesting point about there being more casual fans than ever before, but I see holes in that logic simply because wrestling huge in the 1980s, yet there was a respect for the older performers that there doesn't seem to be today. I would agree the longtime hardcore fans are in their smallest minority ever, considering the size of the overall audience these days.
While Bobby Eaton was never a star in the sense of Ric Flair or Dusty, he was one half of the best tag team combinations for over a decade, whether it be The Midnight Express with Dennis Condrey or Stan Lane, or teaming with Arn Anderson. Your metaphor to a "Dallas" character wouldn't be entirely accurate either as a)the reaction they got on the show would be canned laughter and b)Eaton wasn't a minor character in any sense until the mid 1990s under the Bischoff regime when Hulk Hogan and friends came into WCW. In the ECW Arena with the much ballyhooed "most hardcore fans in the world" it was sad to see Eaton get a reaction that tiny to me.
In regards to people watching only for the characters, I don't sense that to be the case. While people care about the Rock, I doubt they would care if he was on Raw is War every week wrestling the Brooklyn Brawler. There are a lot of interesting characters in WCW, including the Cat, Lance Storm, Three Count and Scott Steiner as the psychopath, but with the WCW championships being crapped on week in and week out with silly title changes, lack of respect, etc. I have to wonder if those belts and the rivalries around them not being treated as serious have something to do with the product remaining stale. Remember, the last time that belt meant anything was when Ric Flair upset Jeff Jarrett for the championship. Why? In Flair's hands, the belt meant something because of his history with it and his history in the sport. Just as the NFL needs to make the Vince Lombardi trophy mean something, wrestling promotions need to make their belts and their champions mean something as well.
Dear Mike,
I just wanted to say that you hit the nail on the head with your article on Gordon Solie and the lack of respect for wrestling history in today's scene. I too feel like I am part of a lost generation of wrestling fans who cares more about workrate, ability, and history then angles, tables, and T&A.; I am 22 years old and nothing makes me happier than watching tapes of 1989 NWA or early'90's ALL Japan.
To further the example, I talked to a lot of modern wrestling fans (post NWO/Steve Austin era) and they all think that Ric Flair sucks. They've never seen Flair/Steamboat or Flair/Funk and worse yet...they don't even want to - I always offer to trade tapes but they're just not interested.
As a Bobby Eaton fan myself, I was disappointed with not just the reaction to his return to ECW, but the return itself. He deserved better than to be taken out by CW Anderson (who I like as a throwback) and then not be mentioned again.
Thanks for hearing out my rant. Between old-school wrestling and puroresu, you and I have a lot in common. Speaking of which, your International Invasion column is awesome!
Thanks for your time,
Chris Bussmann
MKJ: In regards to Bobby Eaton's use at the ECW Arena, I was told that Eaton would be back but he was being allowed to explore his other options (which means WWF since WCW just fired him). I wouldn't say he wasn't mentioned again, as he was used as the catalyst for Kid Kash getting involved with the six man tag match at the Heatwave Pay-Per-View, with the storyline being that Eaton was Kash's idol in the business (which may be a shoot considering Kash's background). It also gave CW Anderson a link to the Anderson lineage as well. Unless he takes a position working for the WWF as a trainer in one of the developmental groups (and you know Jim Cornette would love to have him), I suspect Eaton may be back shortly.
In regards to fans not caring about the Steamboat/Flair series, I think the problem is that so much of today's matches are "spot, get up, spot get up" that the fans just don't understand the meaning behind the chain wrestling and the matwork that leads to say "Steamboat's arm injury" later in the match. I know that there are schools, Les Thatcher's in particular, who use the matches to lecture the students on the artform of selling and building, so thankfully it's not a total washout and being forgotten. I just hope that the decline I see in the interests of the history and the artform of the business reverses itself over time.
Stay tuned for an in-depth look at the history of wrestling in NYC's Manhattan Center, the site of ECW's debut later this week.
I can be reached at AgentCLPT@aol.com
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